Murphy administration takes first steps in eliminating PARCC testing

On the campaign trail, Phil Murphy promised to end the state's Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, tests and requirement that students take an exit test prior to graduating high school.

Now, as students prepare for potentially the last PARCC testing this spring, Gov. Murphy's new acting education commissioner, Lamont Repollet, is working on the first steps to transition to a new assessment system.

In a memo forwarded to chief school administrators statewide Tuesday, Repollet said he will form an advisory committee to explore new test options and initiate a tour of each county to hear from students and teachers.

He also indicated that graduation requirements would be included in the discussion.

Repollet noted, however, that the transition will not be immediate and will occur in a "thoughtful, deliberative process."

"Developing the next levels of our ever-evolving assessment system requires a tremendous amount of collaboration and input from practitioners and experts," Repollet said.

Any actions taken will not affect this spring's PARCC testing since the testing cycle is already established.

A host of issues will need to be sorted out before any changes are made, Repollet said, including the amount of time needed to procure a new vendor, the fiscal and operational impact of assessments, and the continued alignment to the state's student learning standards.

The exams have been met with both acceptance and criticism since their start during the 2014-15 school year.

The New Jersey Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, and many Sussex County parents expressed disdain for the exam, hopping onto an "opt-out movement" during the initial year of the test.

A coordinated resistance effort was formulated in Hopatcong, where parents successfully lobbied for a refusal protocol from the Board of Education after submitting nearly 200 letters objecting to the "stressful and unnecessary" assessment.

The backlash forced administrators from various school districts such as Hopatcong, Sparta, Vernon and Andover Township to develop "refusal protocols," where parents had to submit signed letters to opt their students out of the test. Nearly 60 percent of students in some schools opted out in 2015.

Fast-forward to last year's PARCC testing, and although criticism still came from various sources and new rules were laid out from the state, testing went on as usual in local schools and the opt-out rate dropped drastically.

Of the new rules, the passing of the PARCC English and math exams became a high school graduation requirement in order for students to obtain a diploma, starting with the class of 2021.

In the Department of Education's annual School Performance Reports for 2016-17, released in January, none of the nine public high schools in Sussex County was found to be excelling in English or math, all based on PARCC results for the 2016-17 academic year.

The State Board of Education was expected to take public testimony, including a planned presentation by Save Our Schools NJ, a nonpartisan, parent-led advocacy group, on the topic at its monthly meeting Monday but it was canceled due to the weather.

The meeting has been rescheduled for March 21.

Lori Comstock can also be reached on Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH, on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LoriComstockNJH or by phone: 973-383-1194.